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Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Thanksgiving is a time of gathering, feasting till your hearts & waistline content, and last but not least hitting the snooze button for some Zzzz’s. You awaken briefly from your food coma in order to grab a third or fourth serving of that yummy turkey dinner. But Thanksgiving is not complete without vegging out in front of the t.v watching the Macy’s Day Parade followed by The National Dog Show.

So, while you are pulling out grandma’s famous pumpkin pie recipe, don’t forget to get out those doggy cookbooks to make Thanksgiving Day for Fido special. One reader sent over a Thanksgiving Day Recipe from one of her favorite cookbooks titled "Real Food for Dogs" by Arden Moore, fit for any aspiring canine chef to proudly dish up. The cook book is filled with 50 vet approved & tail wagging recipes. The recipes in this cookbook quirky yet practical and provide recipes that are nutritionally balanced and veterinarian-approved. You can purchase the book on Amazon or Barnes & Noble, in fact I just ordered me a copy and you can bet I will be dishing about these savory, easy and tasty recipes in future post to come. So join me in the kitchen and I will even let you be the official batter bowl licker!

Fido Thanksgiving Feast Recipe

Allow your dog to participate in the Thanksgiving festivities with this special dish.

1 teaspoon olive oil

1/2 cup mashed potatoes

1 egg

1/2 cup diced cooked turkey meat

1/2 cup chopped broccoli

1/3 cup grated cheddar cheese

1. Warm the olive oil in a medium-sized pan over medium heat.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together the potatoes and egg.

3. Pour the potato and egg mix into the pan. Add the turkey and broccoli.

4. Cover the pan, reduce heat to low, and simmer until the egg is cooked.

5. Top with the grated cheese and let it cook for a few minutes longer to allow the cheese to melt.

6. Let cool before serving

With all the fixings of a Thanksgiving meal, and sad puppy eyes gazing at that prize drumstick it can be tempting to share the turkey fare, scraps and leftovers with our furry family member . But while our motives may be good, many of the foods we will be cooking with on the big day are doggy no no's and can be harmful. Here are a few foods that your dog should always avoid and why.

Turkey Skin – High-fat foods, such as turkey skin & gravy, can be hazardous to your dog. Since the skin is hard to digest, it can lead to pancreatitis (symptoms are vomiting, extreme depression, reluctance to move, and abdominal pain) . If you still want to share your bird, give your dog a small piece of white meat.

Macademia Nuts- If ingested can cause a toxic reaction called macadamia nut toxicosis. Within twelve hours of eating the nuts dogs can start to develop symptoms such as an inability to stand, ataxia (walking wobbly), depression, vomiting, muscle tremors, hyperthermia (elevated body temperature), weakness, and an elevated heart rate. Usually the symptoms go away within 48 hours but the weakness, vomiting, and fear can lead to dangerous, and sometimes deadly, shock.

Turkey Bones - Cooked poultry bones are brittle and splinter easily. If ingested, they can lodge in the esophagus or cause stomach or intestinal irritation.

Xylitol - This sweetener is present in products from gum to sugar-free cookies. Even in small amounts, ingestion can cause low blood sugar, seizures, liver failure, and death.

Grapes and Raisins - These common snacks although healthy for you, can induce permanent and life-threatening kidney failure in some dogs. Though some pets seem to handle eating grapes just fine, it's safest to avoid grapes and raisins completely.

Chocolate - Most pet owners are aware of chocolate's danger, but with the recent popularity of dark chocolates -- which contain higher doses of toxic cocoa -- it's more important than ever to be vigilant about chocolate consumption. Ingestion can cause abnormal heartbeats, kidney failure, and near death by chocolate.

Onions - High levels of onion ingestion in dogs and cats can cause life-threatening anemia. Be aware of food at your table -- such as stuffing or casseroles -- that may contain this dangerous ingredient.

Nutmeg - This is a very popular spice found in sweet potato, yams, pumpkin pie & dessert dishes. It has mild hallucinogenic properties, can cause seizures, tremors, central nervous system problems in dogs. In severe cases, shock and death have been reported.

**IMPORTANT: Make sure to discard of your table scraps and leftovers properly and right away so your dogs excited taste buds won't get him or her in trouble and sent to the vet. It is important to put scraps in a dog proof sealed garbage can that even the most skilled four legged dumpster diver can't infiltrate.

Many other human foods can also be harmful to your dog, so always beware and do your research first. It is important to keep your dog's medical background in mind. If your dog is on a vet recommended strict diet stay the course to avoid other future health problems. As always consult you veterinarian for dietary recommendations and guidelines specific to your pet.

5 comments:

Wow. Good to know. Our mini-schnauzer has eaten (re : stolen and eaten) everything from a 1lb chocolate bar to a bar of soap. Now several years later she has heart disease and we worry about if that did anything.

recently came across your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don't know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.